


Gone But Not Forgotten

by One_tired_boi



Series: These Losers Need A Hug [3]
Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King, Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Asexual Mike Hanlon, Bill Denbrough Loves Stanley Uris, Billy Hargrove and Henry Bowers are prison friends, Bisexual Beverly Marsh, Bisexual Bill Denbrough, Bisexual Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Bisexual Mike Wheeler, Bisexual Richie Tozier, F/F, Gay Eddie Kaspbrak, Gay Stanley Uris, Gay Will Byers, M/M, Movie: IT (2017), Post-Stranger Things 2, Reddie, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, Richie Tozier and Mike Wheeler Are Cousins, SOFT GAYS, Stenbrough, Stephen King's IT - Freeform, Steve Harrington & Dustin Henderson Friendship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2020-03-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:55:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22421425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/One_tired_boi/pseuds/One_tired_boi
Summary: Six teenagers run away from summer camp in an attempt to not go back home. Who would want to go back to Derry, anyways? Bill Denbrough wants a new life away from his trauma, and he'll do anythig to make sure it happens.With the help of Dustin Henderson's Cerebro, the new found friends will be able to stay in touch throughout State lines. But will they remember to stay in touch? We all know that what happens in Derry stays in Derry after all.
Relationships: Beverly Marsh/Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Bill Denbrough & Eddie Kaspbrak, Bill Denbrough/Stanley Uris, Dustin Henderson/Suzie, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Richie Tozier & Stanley Uris, Will Byers/Mike Wheeler
Series: These Losers Need A Hug [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1405078
Comments: 10
Kudos: 30





	1. Eddie Kaspbrak is an Excellent Driver

**Author's Note:**

> GUYS!!! I'm so happy to be writing again, and I'm so glad I'm finally concluding this story! Don't worry though, because a lot of stuff is about to go down before I end this year long fic. (I'll probably be updating every week again, basically my hardest class is gonna end next week, meaning I'll have more time to write this baby) I love you guys, and I hope you like this story!!! <3333333333333  
> The Stenbrough is strong in this one

“Excuse me, Ma’am. I’ve been waiting here forever.” The voice of Sonia Kaspbrak rang loudly through the halls of the cafeteria. She’d driven for much longer than she would’ve usually driven. The fear of blood clots forming in her legs kept her from sitting in the car seat too long. This didn’t keep her from sitting in her rocking chair every single weekend though. I guess it depends on what excuse she’s using her fear for. Although, no drive was too long if it meant seeing her Eddie bear safe again. 

“I already told you this, Mrs. Kaspbrak. If you want to speak to my boss, please go to the main office across the gravel, by the gaga pit. If you need me too, I can direct you there myself-” Nancy Wheeler was growing impatient, yet she tried her best to remain calm. This wasn’t the first time she’s had to deal with argumentative adults. 

“I don’t think that’ll be necessary. And besides, what happened to ‘the customer is always right’? Why don’t you just bring your boss to me?” 

“Ma'am, this is a summer camp, not a fucking Walmart,” said Robin, as she wiped down an empty table. She’d been listening in on the conversation, searching for just the right time to interject. 

“How dare you speak to me like that!” Sonia’s face grew redder than a tomato and looked like it could burst at any given moment. 

“I’ll go get him,” said Robin as she rolled her eyes. Nancy gave her a little ‘thank you’ before she made her way out of the cafeteria, too. 

Steve Harrington was waiting outside, lining up all of the campers for attendance. Nancy casually leaned up against the bricks behind him, keeping her voice down as she whispered, “what are we going to tell Eddie’s mom? He’s been gone for the last two days and nobody’s reported him missing.” 

“I know Nanc, none of them got reported. Not even your cousin.” 

“These parents are gonna lose their shit when they find out their kids ran away.” Nancy was losing it. Ever since that morning that Steve had woken up to an empty cabin, things hadn’t been the same. Most of the kids were already gone, unable to hold onto summer forever. It seemed like those kids wanted to ride summer forever though, because what else warrants running away like that? 

“We gotta make up an excuse, ya know, cover for them,” Steve said after some thought of his own. 

“We could blame it on T… nobody trusts him anyway.” Their boss was often nonexistent, hiding away in his cabin as the gruesome summer wore down his will to live. 

“No way man. Then this camp will get shut down forever.” Steve said quietly. 

“Would that even be such a bad thing? I mean, this place is practically a health code violating machine.” 

“I guess you got a point there. But I have a better idea.” 

“And what’s that?” Nancy asked curiously. 

“We blame Billy. I mean, his sister was one of the ones who went missing, and they took his car. All of the ‘evidence’ points to him.”

Nancy looked to him with wide eyes. “Does he really deserve that?” 

“I don’t see why not.” 

Nancy Wheeler realized that this might as well be the dirtiest moment of her life. Not fighting the Demogorgon, not breaking up with Steve, but this. Right here right now. Lying to a poor boy’s mother about his whereabouts. 

Robin came back towards them, with T following close behind her. T entered the cafeteria, while Robin walked over to Steve and Nancy. 

“This is fucked. I have no idea where these kids are, and one of our U-hauls went missing. We’re all getting fired, man.” 

“They all ran away. They stole Billy’s car and ran away.” Steve said gloomily. “They left a note in the cabin, I think it was Stan because it was written in cursive. Anyways, Billy came back looking like hell, claiming the “little shits ran over him.” Nancy and I are planning on covering for them, maybe blaming it on Billy.” 

“Are we sure this is a good idea? I mean, I love a good scheme as much as the next girl, but this is some next-level shit. Billy would go to jail for sure.” there was a hint of hesitation in her voice. 

“I mean, he kinda deserves to be in jail. He did try to kill Lucas that one time at the zipline,” said Steve. 

“That’s true. Plus he’s just done some pretty shady stuff overall.” Nancy added. 

“I mean- what the hell. You son of a bitch, I’m in.” 

“Great! So what do we do exactly?” Steve asked. 

Then the cafeteria door busted open, and out stormed Sonia Kaspbrak. She was practically fuming, and everyone could tell. The usually aggressive eight-year-olds cowered away in fear. Her bright neon green jumpsuit contrasted her bright red cheeks. 

“Where is my son?” she practically screamed at Nancy. 

“I’m sorry ma’am, but we’re going to have to call the police. I’m afraid he’s gone missing.” 

Bill Denbrough really didn’t know what to expect. Who was he trying to kid, bringing all of his friends to his grandma’s house? His grandparents were old, to say the least. His grandmother, dubbed Nana, had dementia, and couldn’t remember what time of day it was. She hadn’t let herself go completely, but Bill knew it wouldn’t be hard to hide six random teenagers from her. His grandfather, on the other hand, was a tough guy, to say the least. Even at the age of 89, he still did lots of housework, and even had a job at FedEx part-time. Bill knew about his grandpa Ron all too well. He had a way of hitting his problems, and age only made it worse. The last time that his dad took them to visit, he’d hit poor Georgie across the face for “talking back.” Mrs. Denbrough had demanded that they leave the house immediately, not bothering to say goodbye to her forgetful mother. Protecting Stan from grandpa Ron would be a task in itself, one Bill didn’t know if he wanted to manage. 

Keeping Stan safe was all that was on his mind now. Ever since that creepy encounter at the gas station, he’d made sure to keep a keen eye on his surroundings. Stan was an easy target for sure, he was tall and skinny for one starter. When Bill used to spend his days digging through Derry magazine, he’d noticed that a lot of the missing boys his age were tall and skinny. He knew Pennywise couldn't have taken them all. The reality was a fact that he had to finally face. This cruel world is unforgiving to even the best of us. The same curly hair and honey pool eyes that Bill gazed at every day could be the same traits that would get Stan kidnapped, and he couldn’t let that happen, not again. 

So Bill pulled Stan into a tight hug as Eddie pulled into his Nana’s driveway. Tears welled in his eyes as he imagined Stan’s reaction to his dysfunctional family. There was no time to cry though because Stan pulled away from him as quickly as he’d been embraced. Bill pulled him back, whispering into his ear. “S-s-stan, I’m s-scared.” curse his vulnerability. 

Stan squeezed his boyfriend tighter into the hug. “It’s ok, Bill. It’s all gonna be ok now.” 

Bill knew this was far from the truth. 

“Well, let’s go inside,” Eddie said meekly, stretching his legs for the first time in a few hours. Richie watched intensively. 

“Go get Bev and Max from the U-Haul,” Eddie said to Richie. 

Richie opened the U-Haul doors to see the adorable sight of Maxine Mayfield asleep on top of one Beverly Marsh. 

“Come on lesbians, we’re here,” Richie announced to the couple. 

They got up slowly, dragging their stuff with them to the doorstep of the home Bill barely knew. The last time he was on this doorstep he was comforting Georgie, who sobbed into his little yellow raincoat. 

“Why did grandpa hit me? And why are mommy and grandpa fighting?” he had asked with a shaky breath. 

“It’s ok, Georgie. M-mommy just wants to go home, that’s all.” His stutter hadn’t been nearly as bad then. His therapist always said his stutter got worse after Georgie’s death. 

Bill tried to shake the feeling of regret as he knocked on his grandparent’s front door. If only he’d been there to stop his grandpa from hitting Georgie. Instead, he’d been outside watercolor painting the trees, a hobby his grandpa had called “faggy” from the start. 

“Who’s there?” asked a vaguely familiar voice. 

“Nana, it’s me, B-billy. Can you answer the d-door?” 

A few long minutes had passed before the door was opened by his Nana. She was short, with her once fiery red hair long passed her shoulders. 

“Sharon, is that you?” she asked suspiciously, looking directly at Beverly. 

“Uhh… no Ma’am-” 

“Why didn’t you tell me you were having your friends over for a sleepover? I would’ve made dinner! Lamb pork chops!” 

“Uhh-” 

“Well come on in, then. Send your friends upstairs. I’ll start on dinner.” 

The group of misfits slipped past her, making their way up the carpet stair to a hallway with rooms on either side. At the very end of the hallway was another bedroom, decorated with what looked like vintage belongings. Photos lined the halls of Sharon Denbrough, Bill’s mom. She had been a redhead in her youth and shared a striking resemblance to Beverly. Further down the hall was pictures of Zach and Sharon on their wedding day, and at the very end of the hall were two more recent photos. The school pictures of Bill and Georgie that Sharon had given her mother at their last visit. The sight of his brother almost made Bill collapse on the floor, but he kept his composure and looked away. 

“There’s t-three guest r-r-rooms up here. N-nana used to t-tell me t-that they used to r-rent these r-rooms out in the seventies. T-they n-never come up here anymore. C-can’t do the stairs l-like they used to. T-their bedroom is downstairs, besides the kitchen. N-never g-go in there. I d-don’t know h-how we-re gonna m-make this work, b-but we have to. A-anything is b-better t-than Derry.” the others nodded, even Max who’d never once stepped foot in the town. 

“A-any q-q-questions?” 

“Yeah. what about your grandpa, does he live here too? And what do we eat exactly?” Eddie asked with genuine curiosity. 

“I’m g-guessing we’ll sell r-random shit around here for c-cash. I saw a p-pawn shop a few roads up on the w-way h-here. As f-for my g-g-grandpa, h-h-he’s-” Bill took a moment to gather his words. They were failing him again. 

“Shit. My g-grandpa works FedEx still, I t-think anyways. He’s u-usually gone d-d-during the day, but he’ll be h-here at n-night.”

“Well, let’s worry about that later. Let’s just go to bed and worry about it in the morning.” Richie said gloomily, with much less enthusiasm as he usually had. Eddie noticed this quickly, and decided it was just because he was tired. 

They each split into groups of two when decided what room to take. Bill and Stan took the biggest room, which sat at the end of the hallway. It was painted navy blue, with a big orange carpet. The amount of dusk in the room proved that both grandparents hadn’t stepped foot up there in at least a few years. Both boys dropped their luggage onto the floor, leaving the unpacking to tomorrow. They changed into their pajamas and climbed into bed. Stan pulled his boyfriend in close, being the big spoon. He nuzzled his face into the back of Bill’s neck and wrapped an arm around him. Bill smiled contently, exhaling slightly when Stan pulled him closer. 

“I love you,” Stan whispered sleepily. 

“I love you,” Bill responded quietly. Stan fell asleep within minutes, tired from the road trip. Bill laid with his eyes open for a minute, thinking about the future. He decided quickly that here right now Stan was cuddling him, so he grabbed Stan’s hand in his and decided to close his eyes. His boyfriend's hands were much softer than his own, a product of years of carefulness. He drifted off to sleep easily after he closed his eyes, rubbing his thumb over Stan’s knuckles.


	2. Henry Bowers is Insane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> guess who's backkk :))))

The days spent at Bill’s grandparent's house were spent mostly in boredom. Stanley cleaned all of the upstairs rooms with the help of Eddie, while Richie and Bill went out to town every day for food. Max and Beverly just did whatever they wanted, from raiding the house to even breaking into the neighbor’s house for cash. 

“How are we going to continue letting them be felons?” Eddie asked Stan one day when polishing the floor. It turned out Bill’s grandmother had a lot of cleaning supplies from her house cleaning days that hadn’t been used in god knows how long. 

“I dunno, man. I don’t support it, but I don’t know any other way that we could make cash. Besides, it’s better than stealing from Bill’s grandma.” Stan responded with a sigh. 

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I just don’t know what we would do if they got caught.” Eddie said nervously. 

“Probably die,” laughed Stan. 

Beverly and Max came back to the house carrying shampoos that they had stolen from a variety of houses. Their philosophy was that if they stole from more than one home, no one would suspect a thing. Just little items here and there. They even planned on stepping it up to stealing from the Walmart a few miles out, but the group hadn’t decided on that yet. The robbery was easy enough since nobody in the old neighborhood had locks on their back doors, let alone security cameras. The elderly were very unprepared for the force that was Bev and Max. 

Bill and Richie came back to the house with some groceries they’d bought at a market nearby. Most of it was stolen, but Bill had bought some of it. 

He came inside the house, setting down the groceries and kissing Stan on the cheek. They’d already started acting like a married couple. After unloading most of the non-refrigerative items in the upstairs part of the house, they held a group meeting. 

“Do we actually think this can work?” Stan asked while the others started sitting down. It had been about a week, and everyone was already getting bored. They hadn’t even remembered to set up Cerebro yet. 

“W-what do you mean?” Bill asked. 

“Well, it’s not like we're getting schooling here. Besides, school starts in a few days. Our parents think we’re dead and such, and there’s no way we can plan a future here.” His sentence was a bit choppy, and his thoughts were a tad dramatic, but his point came across either way. 

“Then what do you suppose we do?” asked Max. 

“I dunno, but this lifestyle isn’t sustainable,” Stan said gloomily. Bill grabbed his hand, squeezing it in reassurance.   
“It’s going to be okay, S-Stanley.” 

“Yeah, we can live off of this. Let me go into the city and I can start selling drugs, then I can make us a real living,” Richie said matter-of-factly. 

“Like that would work,” Eddie clapped back, slapping Richie in the arm. 

“What was that for, Eddie Spaghetti?” Richie asked as he rubbed his arm. 

“For being a dick, Richard. We can’t go around worrying Stan about selling drugs. Not when we are actually trying to plan our future here.” 

“Whatever, mom,” Richie said with a laugh. The others didn’t seem so amused. 

Police custody was something Billy Hargrove was used too, especially with all the shit he’d gotten himself into throughout his early teen years. Yet, something seemed off when he was immediately taken to the Boston Jail for Troubled Youth, no trial or nothin’. His suspicions were proven right when he overheard a guard talking about how some Hopper guy convinced them to take him in, after a quote on quote “messing with his daughter and her friends,” whatever that meant. 

Either way, he was rightfully pissed at his current situation. He had to share a cell with some psycho named ‘Henry Bowers’, whatever fuck name that was. He often talked in his sleep, awaking Billy with a sweat. 

Fuck that, man. There was no way some kid was gonna scare him in jail, not after everything he’s been through. Yet there was some certain thing about this kid that was fucking scary. He always talked about the moon, every night it was “Billy, the moon wants to play. Can you see it, Billy?” Whatever the fuck that meant. 

Despite his psychopathic appearance, one day Billy wanted to face his fear. He asked Henry how he got in there, and you couldn’t believe the story he spewed out like a faucet. 

“There was this fatass named Ben Hanscom, I carved him up like a turkey. That kid was out for it man. Every day he tested me, begging me to kill him. This whore named Beverly Marsh tried me too, and I probably would’ve killed her if I could’ve. Some black kid named Mike Hanlon, I killed his dog because my old man would’ve been to jail if this kid came up missin’. It wouldn’t matter though, I killed my dad too. Never saw it comin'. These two faggy kids named Richie Tozier and Eddie Kaspbrak were dead in my eyes anyway. Don’t even get me started on the stuttering freak Bill Denbrough, I wish I could’ve shut him up. Last, there was the Jewboy, Stanley Uris. I kidnapped him, and everyone thought during the trial that I wanted to kill him. That wasn’t the case- nobody would believe me. I just wanted him to see, you know? He reminded me a lot of Patrick in a way. He was my friend too, but the clown got him. Do you know about the clown?” 

“Uhhhh,” Billy knew that these were the same fucking campers that got arrested, well, most of them anyway. This Henry guy was insane, sure, but maybe he had the right idea after all. So he lied, “Yeah, I know about the clown…” 

“Good! Finally, someone that knows the truth! Pennywise! All that matters is Pennywise!”

“That’s nice and all but-” 

“I neeeed Pennywise! He can help me get them back, I’ll get them all back!”

“Whatever you say, pal-” 

“I’ll get them all back, those fucking Losers!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what do you guys think of the new ST trailer? I mean we all knew Hop was alive but still 
> 
> also more action-y stuff next chapter, this was just kinda an intro.


	3. Dustin Henderson Sings a Song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> woah I blinked and a freakin month had gone by since I updated this???!! I'm so sorry fellow gamers!! I promise I will not let you down again, soldier!
> 
> besides with coronacation I have literally nothing else to do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yay the talent show is finally here!!!

The last few days at camp were miserable, to say the least. Billy was incarcerated, and the camp basically went to shit. Nancy and Steve tried their best to maintain the place, while Robin tried to help the bratty kids. They decided that on the last day of camp there would be a talent show, distracting the kids from the lack of food. 

The party just wanted to go home and rest. Losing Max to whatever gang left town was something they didn’t really see coming. Lucas was still moping around, muttering stuff about a flower crown. 

Will and Mike seemed better, though. They spent their days slowly working up a relationship, and they held hands wherever they went. Nancy and Jonathan thought it was about damn time. 

Eleven was pissed, as usual. Max leaving was just as hard for her as it was for Lucas. Suzie and El missed her dearly, along with Beverly. The nights spent in the girls’ room would be cherished forever. Eleven decided to use her powers to look for Max and Bev, knowing it was what they would want. 

The group hasn’t tried to contact her yet, and she was growing worried. Dustin and Suzie had even built another Cerebro to contact the other one. 

She placed her summer bandana over her eyes and sunk to the floor. Her concentration was deep, and her mind went to that same black room. Blood trickled down her nostrils, and she knew it was working. She could hear Max’s voice vaguely from a distance. 

“Richie” it was muffled, but audible nevertheless. “Richie shut the fuck up,” sounded like Max alright. 

Suddenly she could see her, her bright hair against her shoulders while her even brighter smile captivated the lonely black abyss. She was looking back, at who Eleven could only assume was Richie. 

“Whatever ass hat,” he responded. Definitely not his best comeback. “Just grab it, let’s go.” 

They looked to be casually leaving a Walmart when the setting of their surroundings kicked in. Eleven could see Bill now, and Beverly. They were stealing from a Walmart. 

“Classy,” she said out loud. 

“What was that?” Max asked curiously. 

“What was what?” Beverly asked gently. 

“I swear I felt like the wind or something. I dunno, I just feel like I’m being watched,” she admitted whilst rubbing her arm. 

Richie chimed in, always there to break the tension. “I always feel like, somebody’s watchin meeee,” he sang loudly. Some people looked over, and one particular Karen gave him a dirty look. 

“B-beep Beep D-d-dickwad!” Bill stuttered out, using his free hand to slap Richie across the arm. The other hand was holding a surplus of Oreos- Stan’s favorite. 

“And I got no privacy! Oh Woah oh,” he continued with a smile across his face. 

“Seriously, if you keep that shit up yo bitch ass will get kicked outta here so fast,” Max’s temper was always redder than her hair. 

“Fine, whatever, you weebs just can’t appreciate good music,” Richie said with a semi-serious tone. The rest of them just rolled their eyes. 

“Let's get out of here,” Beverly said urgently when a security guard kept looking at them. 

“A-agreed,” Bill said quickly. They went to the family bathroom and did what they always did: working as a team they packed the food into a big bag Beverly had snuck into the store. They hid the rest of the food in their sleeves or their own bags. Some of them were Walmart bags, and it looked like they had purchased the items. They made their way out of the store when the door checker people were helping an older couple. Beverly was the getaway driver, and they skrrted their way out of the parking lot. 

The ride home was quiet, and Bill thought long and hard. Oh, how stupid he had been! Staying with his grandparents, taking advantage of them losing their minds! The guilt was adding up fast. “G-guys I’m h-holding a m-meeting when w-we g-g-get h-home.” 

“Ok, Bill. Whatever you say,” Beverly said sarcastically. Truth be told Beverly tried not to think of Bill much these days. He was always her favorite, and she still kind of liked him. Living with him didn’t make this any easier. Yet, she still longed for Ben too. He was always so nice, and so caring. Thinking back to their time in Derry became worrying, though. What had he done that was so nice and caring? She blinked a few times, drawing a blank in her mind. “Oh shit,” she finally said out loud. 

“What’s wrong,” Asked Max, taking one of Bev’s hands in her own from the passenger seat. 

“I just- I can’t remember Ben. I can’t remember what he looks like,” she said fearfully. Max dropped her hand and started to pick at her nails. 

“Well that’s easy,” Richie said matter of factly. “He’s haystack! He’s uh- well now that I think about it, uhh… Oh right! He’s got blonde hair, kinda looks like Justin Beiber’s.” 

“He d-does n-n-not look like t-that,” Bill said reassuringly. “H-he’s always w-wearing that b-b-bear shirt, r-right?” 

“Yeah! Yeah, I remember now.” Beverly said with ease. 

“You guys seriously forgot what your own friend looks like, after spending the whole summer with him?” said Max, sounding a little annoyed. 

“It must b-be Derry. It m-makes you f-forget t-things” Bill said sadly. 

“How do you know?” asked Max. 

“I j-just do,” Bill responded. 

“If we’re forgetting him does that mean they are out of camp Asshole?” asked Richie. 

“I w-would assume so. It’s t-time to b-build Cerebro.” 

Eddie and Stan greeted them at the door when Beverly pulled Billy’s car into the driveway. They had worried expressions on their faces, which concerned Bill even more. 

“W-what’s wrong?” he asked, embracing his boyfriend into a tight hug. 

“We need to have a meeting,” Stanley said simply. Bill nodded in agreement. 

They gathered around the living room floor, overwhelmed by the aroma of old people. The wallpaper was peeling off the walls, and a dusty bookshelf sat in the corner by the stairs. Max and Bev sat down beside it, and the rest sat around a big area rug. The furniture just smelled too damn much like old people. 

“I have n-news,” Bill announced to the crowd of his friends. “B-but first, S-stan and Eddie.” 

“Eddie and I were watching the news earlier when we saw a top story. Apparently, Billy Hargrove is in jail.” Stan said gloomily. 

“My brother is actually in jail?” Max asked, in disbelief. 

“I’m afraid so. I can’t help but feel guilty because we put him in this situation,” Stan continued. 

“I mean we stole his car for fuck’s sakes” Richie added. 

Eddie chimed in, “Guys it gets worse. According to the news anchor, he’s rooming with Henry Bowers.” 

Stan shuddered at the name, and Bill pulled him into another hug. Stan took a deep breath before adding to what Eddie said. “We can’t stay here guys. They’re gonna find us eventually.” 

“They would find us anywhere we went,” Max argued. 

“Then we ditch his car, steal a new one and ride off into the fucking sunset,” Eddie suggested, with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. 

“I can’t- I can’t do that man.” Max began to chew at her lip. “Billy loves that car, he’s put everything into it. I can’t do that to him.” 

“Then what do we do?” asked Beverly. 

“I d-don’t know, but we’ll f-figure it out. Besides, I think I have a plan that might actually w-work.” 

Before: 

The very last day of camp wasn’t nearly as bad as the past few. Campers enjoyed themselves, and food was actually served with semi-quality. Robin found herself wishing she had spent more time with the kids. Steve found himself wishing he’d spent less time with them. Nancy watched as Mike and Will’s not so newfound romance blossomed into a full-blown relationship. Jonathan was happy his little brother was finally accepting himself. 

The last camp event was a talent show. Now, many of the campers had some sort of secret talent, but nobody really wanted to display such taboo hobbies. The herd of 8-year-olds could quickly turn on anyone who dared oppose societal norms, which meant talent shows were for weebs and weebs only. Yet, there were those few brave souls who stood out from the rest, giving a chance to the cause that was entertainment. Two of those brave souls were Dustin and Suzie, who seized the opportunity to spend one last moment together for everyone to see. 

They had been practicing in the woods for days, harmonizing in secrecy. Now, Dusty buns was ready to face on the world, or more accurately what was left of the camp, for a chance to show everyone who he really was. 

Everyone sat around the make-do stage, a black tarp, and waited for the show to begin. 

Steve walked up to the daunting tarp, coughing as it crinkled beneath his feet. He took a deep breath before giving his great opening speech: “Greetings chillins! Now, you may know me as the crazy counselor who pretended to get eaten by a bear, but that’s all things of the past. I’m here to announce to you all lucky kiddos that camp is over today! Yay!! All of your parents are waiting for you guys right by the parking lot. But, before you can see them, you have the chance to see all of your peers perform! So give it up, for my main man, the one and only DUSTIN HENDERSON!!! And Suzie too.” 

“Thanks Steve,” Dustin said awkwardly as he walked hand in hand with Suzie. He signaled to Robin, who started the boom box that would be playing their background music. 

Dustin sighed, and Suzie gave him a reassuring smile. Well, here goes nothing… “Turn around. Look at what you seeeeee. In her face, the mirror of your dreeeeeams” 

Lucas glanced at Will and Mike, and they all burst out laughing. 

“Make believe I’m everywhere, Given in the light.” Suzie now joined in energetically. “Written on the pages is, the answer to a never ending storyyyyy! Ahhahhahha” 

“THIS SUCKS!!” Erica screamed loudly. The eight-year-olds laughed along with her. 

“Reach the stars! Fly a Fantasyyyy. Dream a dream, and what you see will beeee.” 

Eleven shook her head in disappointment. Jonathan was recording the whole thing. 

“Rhymes that keep their secrets will, unfold behind the clouds! And there upon the rainbow is, the answer to a never ending storyyyy” 

“Ok- ok that’s enough of that” Steve said quickly, trying to contain his laughter. He ushered them off the tarp, and Suzie looked mad that she didn’t get to finish her song. 

“Next we have Lil Erica rapping rhymes to America? Did I read that right?” Steve asked in confusion. 

“Oh, you sure did.” Erica walked up to the tarp, Lucas hiding his face in embarrassment. 

“Aye yo Robin, hit it!” She flipped her hat backward, and the rap lyrics began to flow out of her melodically. “G-Gucci flip flops, fuck it hit your bitch in my socks!” 

Everyone’s jaw dropped in pure shock. “This a big watch, diamond drippin’ off of the clock!” 

Steve practically ran back to the tarp, yelling “cut the cameras!” Robin turned off the music, and Erica glared in her direction. “Ok- ok that’s enough of that!” Steve announced as he pushed Erica off the tarp. 

“Next we have a thrilling stand up comedy act from the one and only Ben Hanscom!” 

Ben walked up to the tarp and took the mic from Erica, who begrudgingly gave it up. 

“Hello everybody! Now, I’m not much of a stand-up comedian- that would be my dear friend Richard Tozier. But before he erm- disappeared, we wrote out this skit. So, anyway, let's get started!” 

Mike Hanlon gave him a big thumbs up, so Ben dared to continue this sad excuse of a show. 

“When I think about this summer, I have a lot of emotions. One example could be the countless times I’ve been rejected by the same person! In fact, I have mastered the ability to cry on command! All I have to do is think about my own crippling failure and I’m brought to tears in mere minutes!” 

“This is depressing!” yelled one of the eight-year-olds. 

“Indeed young child. It is depressing to face rejection, so today I am going to spronkle in some light humor whilst teaching you young kids how to deal with rejection! Now kids, if you've ever been rejected before, you’d know how much it hurts to move on. Now, take that pain and imagine how the other person feels, knowing they no longer have a handsome hunkster Hanscom to date. Yeah, it doesn’t hurt as much now, does it? Next, let’s pretend you hypothetically wrote a very nice love poem to someone and they decided to ignore it. You can just pretend they don’t know how to read and it makes it 80% more fun to deal with. Now you can get rejected like a cool kid, because you are the one who knows how to read. Lastly, if the person you like ever decides to run away with no time to give you a chance, at least you know they are the one making the mistake, and not you! We love being able to still attend school and not be in jail. Homesteader tingz am I right?” 

“Uhh is this kid ok? Nancy asked Jonathan. 

“I have no clue.” 

“Well thank you for that nice ted Talk, Benjamin! It was very fun and very cool, very funky and very fresh to say the least. Sadly, it’s time for our final act. Everyone, give it up for Jane Hopper!” 

Eleven was the last camper to walk up to the tarp, and she too gave ben a little thumbs up when he walked off of it. 

“Thanks, Steve. For my act, I will be doing a magic trick! Now, I need a special volunteer,” she spoke slowly, not very used to public speaking. 

“I’ll go,” said Mike. It may or may not have been pre planned. 

When he sat down on the tarp, Eleven gave the audience a little smirk. “I will now make him levitate!” 

Nancy, Jonathan, Steve, and Robin all looked at each other nervously. If Hopper found out about this, he would literally shit his pants in frustration. 

Eleven focused on her powers, and blood trickled from her right nostril. Mike began to levitate and then flood further up until he was about five feet up in the air. The kids stared upwards in disbelief, their jaws practically on the ground. Eleven slowly put him down, and the two teenagers bowed before walking off of the tarp. 

“Well, that was incredible!” Steve said to the audience, “Thank you all for coming out tonight, folks. Thanks again kids for staying three whole weeks at camp Apollo! Enjoy the rest of summer break and your following school year!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can you tell I wrote the last 4 pages at 4 am? Just me? okey 
> 
> also sorry Ben's skit was cringetopia I just had to give him justice after all this time

**Author's Note:**

> btw, there will be darker themes in this story, but it is an IT fanfic, sooo


End file.
